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Lisbon has exploded onto the travel scene in recent years. This once overlooked country on the far western front of Europe has now become quite popular with travellers and especially digital nomads for it's affordable cost of living and great infrastructure.

Best SIM card and data plan - Vodafone at Lisbon airport

You'll find a Vodafone store conveniently located right in the departures hall. Stop by this office and they'll set you up with a SIM card and data plan. This is easiest way to go about it.

There are 2 options:

1. Voice & Data SIM Card for 20 Euro which includes 5 GB of data and 500 national/30 international minutes.

2. A Data only SIM card - 15 Euro for 15 days gets you 30 GB with easy top-ups available.

There's another company called MEO but they don't have a store at the airport. You can find one of their stores at the mall near the Baixa-Chiado metro stop. Their pre-paid price is 15 Euro for 15 days for 30 GB of data. With the price of the SIM and taxes comes out to about 20 Euro. I stopped by their mall store and it was very busy handling regular post paid customers. Given that they also do not have an airport office, Vodafone is the better choice for travellers.

Best way to get into the city - Underground Metro

There's a metro station right outside the doors of the airport which make it an easy way to get into the city. The most touristy area is Baixa-Chiado which is where I recommend staying for the first few nights to get your bearings. Just hop on the red line and transfer at Alameda station to the green line. Get off at the Baixa-Chiado stop. The price is 1.45 Euro one way plus .50 for the refillable card.

Best area to stay - Baixa-Chiado

This is the central business district where you'll find most of the upscale restaurants, shopping and nightlife. I would recommend setting up base here for the first few days to get oriented with the city. There are really great free (tip-based) walking tours offered by numerous different companies. Take a few of these which are fun and very informative.

Best affordable beach town in Western Europe - Costa da Caparica

It's hard to find an affordable beach town in Europe during the summer. This is my secret spot that I was hesitant to reveal but finally decided to share with my readers. Located a short 45 minute bus ride from central Lisbon, Costa da Caparica is a beach town that is visited mostly by locals, so the costs are not inflated like in the Algarves in the south.

The town boasts amazing waves and because of this, there are numerous surf schools set up right on the beach. There's a long amazing boardwalk for jogs and an outdoor gym that I used to stay in shape while living there. This is quite a small, quiet, sleepy town so there's not much to do besides enjoy the beach and surf during the day. But I found it to be perfect for what I needed.

This post is a work in progress so please check back for updates. Any questions on Lisbon, please leave in the comment section and I'll try to reply.

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